Lubricating system



Dec. 6, 1927.

C. E, HOOSER LUBRICATING SYSTEM Filed Dec. 1, 1925 INVENTOR. (is flats E floosae.

A TTORNE! l5.

UNITE-D CHARLES nnoosnn, or INDIANAPOLIS; mnrama s 3310m sirs'rnn.

i Application filed December This invention pertains to a lubricating system for-the wedges employed in an ad justable driving box for locomotive driving wheels.

i In locomotive driving wheels, the supporting axle is mounted. ina bearing positioned in what is termed a driving box. Thedriving box. is held in position V in a "suitable 1 frame by a so-called floating wedge and a so-called adjusting wedge. Heretofore there has been some difficulty experienced in lubricating these Wedges, and various arrange ments have been employed for thispurpose.

It is the object of this invention to provide means for automatically lubricating the wedges underpressure caused by the rotating action of the axle within the bearing.

This is found to give a very satisfactory and desirable lubrication without theattention which has heretofore beenrequired from the engineer.

The full nature of the. invention will be understood from the acc ompanying -draw.- ings and the following description and Fig. 1 is a centralver zic'al se'ctionthrough the driving box and wedges- Fig. 2 is a section taken on aline 2-.2 of Fig. Fig. 3 is the same" as Fig. 1 showingasmodified form thereof. Fig. .4. is a section taken'on aline 4'- 4,of Fig. 3.

In the' drawings there is shown a portion of rthe framework 10 of alocomotive in which thereismounted a driving box in which a suitable bearing is provided for the axle 12 of the drivingwheel. I The drivingbox 11" is provided with a suitable openingthrough which the axle extends, and positioned'immediately above the axl e,.-jso as to conform -thereto,is'a-bronzej bearing memb er 13. 1 Below theaxle there isa perforated retaining plate-14, for the lubricant reservoir, said plate conformingin curvature to theaxle and mounted adj-acentthe lowersurface thereof. Said plate is (adapted to re- .taina cake of grease '15 which is pressed against the perforated plate 14 of the lubri cant reservoir by the. bottom plate '16 under spring pressure produced through the mediof the usual structure and causesthe axleto be constantly lubricated by meansof the ratedplate 14.

-:: ;;-In orderto adjustably maintain the drivum of. the compression spring 17 This is 1, 1925.. Serial; No. 72.507.

box in position within the frame, there f is provided a so-called floating wedge 18 comprising a metal plate positioned ad]acent the side of the box andtapering in crosssec tionfromthetop to the bottom. Adjacent wedge 19 mounted on the opposite side therethe -floating. 'wedge 18 there is all adjusting of from theibox. comprising a similar plate tapering in crosssection from the bottom to the top, thetapering of the adjusting wedge 19'being much more pronounced than that of held in adjustedposition through the medium of the .rod 20 extending upwardly through the frame from the bracket 21 in :the floating wedge. The adjusting wedge is which it is. adj ustably mounted under spring I tension through themedium of the spring 22 and spring 'pocket,23. This-structure] as.

above described is old and commonly used in practice. The. difiiculty heretofore has been in suitably luricating the? wedges 18 and 19.v

To that end, this invention contemplates that the bearing member 13 be" provided with an oil receiving -recess'.24 in its bearingsurface, said 7 recess leading into an upwardly extending passageway 25, extending upwardly through the bearing member and the upper. portion. of the driving box, and adapted to beclosed by the va1ye'screw26. There through the top portionof the bearingmember andboxas illustrated in Fig. 2. Communicating' with one-or .more. of said up wardly extending openings there are lateral- 1y. extending passageways 27 leading to each side of the box for conducting such lubricant as may bev discharged therethrough to the side surfaces thereofu V i It will be noted that one of the passages, as illustrated in full lines in Fig. 1, leads to that sideof the box adiacent the floating wedge 18, communicating with a relatively said surfaces by capillary attraction in the usual manner. The adjusting wedge-19 is likewise provided with an opening 30 and vertical lubricatinggrooves 31 communicating therewith. the opening 30 being partialmay be a plurality. of such holes extending ly in jregistrywith the opening 28, whereby the lubricant received in theopening 28 may pass into the opening 30 and'lubricate the surfaces of theladjusting wedge.

By means of this arrangement, it is found in actual practice that the rotation of the axle 12, which is well lubricated from the grease in the reservoir 15 will deposit a substantial portion of the lubricant carried about the surface thereof in the pocket formed by the groove 24. Such lubricant will be forced upwardly through the passage 25 by reason of the centrifugal force caused by the rotation of the axle. The pumping force applied'thereto being such as to distribute the lubricant through the various passageways openings and grooves above mention, under suflicient pressure to thoroughly lubricate the bearing surfaces of the wedges and driving box without requiring any attention, as has heretofore been re quired in such structures.

The valve, screws 26 and 126 areso arranged as to extend into the passageways 27 and 127 respectively so as to control the flow of lubricant therethrough. It is quite possible that the surfaces would be overlubricated and lubricant wasted wherein a free passage was left, but by means of the valve screw, the passage of the lubricant thereby can be so adjusted and regulated as to permit only sufficient lubricant forced to the surfaces as will be necessary to provide sufiicient lubrication.

wherein the structureis herein shown as being provided with two wedges, in some cases only a single wedge is employed, the same being termed a straight wedge structure. This invention contemplates the lubrication of the surfaces of the driving box by means of the above described arrangement, as well as wherein either a single or straight wedge is used or a floating and adjusting wedge as shown herein. i

In the modified form shown in Figs. 3 and 4, the principle involved is the same. however the lubricant is pumped or forced through the tubular passageways 137 to the openings 128 and 130 formed substantially midway of the wedges 18 and 19.

It is to be noted, that in the actual use of this lubricating system, the heat created at the top of the axle causes the lubricant forced into the passage 25 and retarded by the valve 26, to boil. This gives a beneficial action to the lubricant which facilitates its passageway tot-he bearing surfaces in a vaporized or volatile condition, such as assists its penetration to said surfaces.

The invention claimed is:

1. The combination with a driving box for receiving the axle of locomotive driving wheels, and a wedge therefoiyof a lubricating system comprising a lubricant containing reservoir adapt-ed to feed the lubricant to thesurface of the axle and an upwardly extending conduit positioned in said box having one end communicating with the upper bearing surface thereof, and a conduit having one end communicating with the upper end of said upwardly extending conduit and communicating with the surface of said wedge whereby lubricant carried by the axle will be consistently forced through the action thereof upwardly through said first mentioned conduit and directed to the surface of the \vedgefor lubricating the same.

2, The combination witha driving box for receiving the axle of locomotive driving wheels and a plurality of wedges therefor, of a lubricating system comprising alubrii cant containing reservoir adapted to feed the lubricant to the surface of the axle and an upwardly and laterally extending conduit positioned in said box having one end com municating with the upper bearing surface thereof, and with the adjacent, surfaces of said wedges whereby lubricant carried by to feed the lubricant to the surface of the axle,an upwardly extending conduit having one end communicating with the upper hearing surface of said box, conduits extending from the otherend and communicating with the outer surfaceof the box, whereby lubricant carried by the axle will be consistently forced through the action thereof upwardly to said conduit and directed to the outer surface of the box for lubricating the same, and means on said box extending into one of said conduits adapted to restrict the passage of lubricant therethrough so as to cause the same to boil from the heat and pressure exerted by the'action of the axle andpass to the surface to be lubricated in a volatile condition. y y H a y 4. The combination with a driving box for receiving the axle of locomotive driving wheels, of a. lubricating system comprising a lubricant containing reservoir adapted to a feed the lubricant to the surface/of the axle, N

a conduit having one end communicating with the surface of said axle and the outer end thereof communicating with the outer surface of said box, whereby the lubricant carried by the axle will be continuously forced through the action thereof through said conduit to the outer surface of said box for lubricatingthe same,and an ad justable valve extending into said conduit adapted to restrict thepassage of lubricant therethrough so as to cause the same to be heated from the heat and pressure exerted by action of the axle for facilitating its pas-v sage to the surface to be lubricated.

5. The combination with a driving box for receiving the axle of locomotive driving a lubricant containing reservoir adapted to feed'the lubricant to the surface of the axle,

a conduit having one end communicating with the surface of said axle and the outerv end thereof communicating with the outer surface of said box, whereby the lubricant carried by the axle will be continuously forced through the action thereof through said conduit to the outer surface of said box for lubricating the same, andrlneans extending" into said conduit adapted to restrict the passage of lubricant therethrough so as to cause the same to be heated from the heat and pressure exerted by the action of the axle for facilitating its passage to the surface to be lubricated. 1

6. A device of the class described comprising a housing, a journal box in the housing, an axle in said journal box, a pair of reversely positioned wedges between the out side of said journal box and said housing, lubricating ports extending through each wedge, lubricating channels or grooves in the faces of said wedges, a passageleading from the inside of said box to the adjacent wedge, and means for supplying lubricant to said axle whereby the axle carries a por tion of the lubricant to the journal box passage from whichit passes to the passages and channels in the wedges, and the wedge channels retain sufficient lubricant to take care of lubrication between the wedges and adjacent surfaces, in the event the main supply becomes exhausted or stopped up.

7. A device of the class described comprising a housing, a journal box in the housing, a crown brass for said journal box, an axle in said journal box, a pair of reversely positioned wedges between the outside of said journal box and said housing,

cating channels formed in the faces of said wedges, a passage leading from the inside of said journal box to the adjacent wedge, a passagefromc the inside of said crown brass to the outer face thereof, and means for supplying lubricant to said axle whereby the axle carries a portion of the lubricant to the journal box passage from which it passes to the passages and channels in the wedges, and the wedge channels retain sufiiclent lubrication to take care of lubrlcation between the wedgesand adjacent surfaces'in the event the main supply becomes exhausted or stopped up, and lubricant is also carried through the passage in said" crownbrass for lubricating the'outer face thereof.

In witness whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature.

CHARLES E. HOOSER.

lubricating ports extending through said wedges, lubri- 

